Bacterial Superglue

Transcript

BOB HIRSHON (host):
The stickiest stuff known to science. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.

The toughest glue around doesn’t come from the hardware store, but from bacteria. A water-loving microbe called Caulobacter crescentus produces the super-sticky goo to cling to rocks in rushing currents. Brown University physicist Jay Tang and his colleagues recently tested its strength. The results?

JAY TANG (Brown University):
It is stronger than commercial superglues by a factor of 2 or 3.

HIRSHON:
Of course, the bacteria produce only tiny amounts. But Tang says that theoretically, a patch of this glue the size of your palm could support 60 metric tons.

TANG:
So that’s equivalent to the weight of 12 elephants.

HIRSHON:
If it were mass-produced, a glue that strong could be used to make devices like surgical implants virtually unbreakable. I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.